Self-unloading toy vehicle



HHH H R. G. SMITH sELF-UNLADING TOY VEHICLE i Filed April 20, 1940 ril28,' 194.2.

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I ,lllllll l Il l aum INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 28, 1942 srrsSELF-UNLOADING TOY VEHICLE Application April 20, 194i), Serial No.330,675

(Cl. i6-214) 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to self-unloading toy vehicles, and ismore particularly directed toward vehicles having means for dischargingthe contents of an open hopper or the like laterally.

The present invention contemplates toy freight cars adapted for use ontoy railroads and having provisions for swinging one of the sides of thecar outwardly so that the contents can roll or move laterally from thehopper of the car.

A further object of the invention is to provide cars of this type with atiltable' bottom which is automatically tilted in the same directionthat the side of the car moves in opening so that the rolling of thecontent of the car toward the open side is facilitated.

Other and further objects will hereinafter appear as the descriptionproceeds.

The accompanying drawing shows, for purposes of illustrating the presentinvention, one of the many embodiments in which the invention may takeform, it being understood that the drawing is illustrative of theinvention rather than limiting the same.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a car with parts broken away toshow interior construction;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a car with parts broken away to showinterior construction; and

Figures 3 and l are cross sectional views on the lines 3-3 and 4 4,respectively, of Figure 2.

The toy freight car may have conventional trucks I0, I0 and operate onconventional track II. The trucks are secured to a platform I2 havingside flanges I3 and It. formed by bending down the metal as indicated inthe drawing. The stamping from which the platform is made is, as hereshown, provided with four long openings I5. Near the ends of theplatform are fixed i,

end walls I6.

The side walls of the car are indicated at I1, I1 and are here shownalike so that the car can discharge contents to either the right or theleft. Where it is desired that the car discharge contents in onedirection only one `of the walls may be fixed instead of movable as willbe described. The side walls I1, I'I are each connected with adownwardly extending sheet metal member I8. This member has two upwardlyextending parts I9, I9 which pass through the holes I5 in the platformstamping and are secured by rivets 2i! to the corresponding side wallIl. Thev two elements Il and I8 thus operate as a unit and may be swungoutwardly and downwardly as indicated in the full line and dot-and-dashline position of Figure 3. During this swinging movement they pivotabout the corner of the platform stamping as indicated in dotted linesat the left of Figure 3. The side walls are normally held in thevertical position by two transversely extending springs 22 as indicated.The members I8 may be shifted from the normal vertical position to thelowered position by any suitable means. This is here shown in the formof an external operator 23 which pushes the extension i8 in under theplatform of the car.

The platform I2 also carries a centrally located rod or wire 2t, andthis rod supports a tiltable false bottom piece 25 having prongs 26which pass through holes 2l in the side walls I'I. These prongs are bentdownwardly the proper amount so that when the side wall swings back andforth the bottom is tilted as will be apparent from the showings ofFigures 3 and 4.

It is obvious that the invention may be embodied in many forms andconstructions within the scope of the claims and I wish it to beunderstood that the particular form shown is but one of the many forms.Various modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwiselimit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A toy car having a body provided with a side wall pivoted to swingoutwardly and downwardly, spring means acting to hold the side wallvertical, a centrally pivoted, normally horizontal bottom, and meansinterconnecting the side wall and the bottom so that when the side wallis swung downwardly it causes the bottom to tilt in the same direction.

2. A toy car having a body provided with a side Wall pivoted to swingoutwardly and downwardly, spring means acting to hold the side wallvertical, a centrally pivoted, normally horizontal bottom havingextensions passing through holes in the side wall., the extensions beingengageable by the corresponding side wall when it is swung downwardly totilt the bottom in the same direction.

3. A toy car having a body provided with two side walls pivoted to swingoutwardly and downwardly, transversely extending spring meansinterconnecting the side walls and acting to hold them vertical, acentrally pivoted, normally horizontal bottom, and means interconnectingeach side wall and the bottom so that when either side wall is swungdownwardly it causes the bottom to tilt in the same direction.

the car has a pivoted false bottom acted on by 10 the side wall to tiltit in the same direction when the side wall is swung down.

6. In a toy car, a body having a xed bottom, two xed end walls, sidewalls at least one of which is outwardly swngable, a centrally pivoted,

tiltable bottom above the xed bottom, and means to tilt the tiltablebottom toward the swingable side wall in response to the outwardswinging of the side wall.

7. In a toy car, a body having a fixed bottom. two fixed end walls, twodownwardly and outwardly swingable side walls, springs adjacent the endwalls for restoring the side walls to vertical position, a. centrallypivoted tiltable bottom above the xed bottom, and means to tilt thetiltable bottom toward the swingable side wall in response to theoutward swinging of the side wall.

RICHARD G. SMITH.

